Cleveland Browns training camp day nine: Anthony Walker Jr., David Bell, Anthony Schwartz back
BEREA – The Browns received some reinforcements on Saturday when they activated rookie receiver David Bell and veteran linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. off of the injury lists on which they've spent all training camp.
Wide receiver Anthony Schwartz also was back on the practice field for the first time since suffering a knee strain on July 28. The second-year pro had missed five practices.
Bell, the third-round pick out of Purdue, was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list with a foot injury on July 22, the day the rookies reported for camp. Walker was placed on the non-football injury list with a groin injury on July 26, the day veterans reported.
"Gotta be smart," coach Kevin Stefanski said of the players returning to practice. "Obviously they’re not going to come in and get lots of reps. They’ll all work through their own injuries. We’ll be smart. I think you’ll see those guys in individuals to start, maybe some on-air type drills then eventually get them into team drills."
Receiver Javon Wims was also activated from the non-football illness list. Wims, a fourth-year pro out of Georgia, had been on the list since the start of camp.
Defensive end Stephen Weatherly was added to the season-ending injured reserved list with a knee injury. Weatherly, a seven-year pro, was signed as a free agent in the offseason after splitting 2021 with the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings.
Weatherly's injury will require surgery, Stefanski confirmed.
“I am disappointed for Steve," Stefanski said. "I have a history with him going back to the Vikings. A really, really solid person. Just a rock-solid person, so disappointed for him.”
Center Michael Harris was back at practice on Saturday. He left Friday's workout after being poked in the eye.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (foot) is currently the only player on the PUP list. Defensive tackle Sheldon Day (back) is still on the NFI list.
The return of Bell, Schwartz and Wims will provide a boost to a receiving corps which has been riddled with injuries throughout camp. Stefanski didn't rule out the potential for Bell to play in the Browns' preseason opener next Friday at Jacksonville.
"He’s really intelligent," Stefanski said of Bell. "He had a nice spring for us, moved him around in our formation and he picked it up pretty quickly. So we’re excited about getting him back out here. Like anything, I want him to catch up real fast, and I know he does too. So he’s excited to be back out here."
Michael Woods II to "miss some time" with injury
The good news the Browns received with the return of Bell and Wims was tempered by the fact rookie receiver Michael Woods II is going to be sidelined with a left hamstring injury. Stefanski said he would "miss some time" while recovering.
"Muscle injury," Stefanski said. "It's something that affected him back in the spring. So we're just going to be smart."
Woods, who was taken in the sixth round of April's draft out of Oklahoma, had been one of the brighter spots among the younger players through the first week of camp. He missed Friday's practice initially with the injury.
Woods caught 35 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games for the Sooners last year after transferring in from Arkansas. In four collegiate seasons between the Razorbacks and Sooners, Woods started 38 of 43 games and finished with 118 receptions for 1,648 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Rookie Alex Wright leaves practice briefly
The Browns had a scare along the defensive line when rookie end Alex Wright left practice for about 20 minutes or so with two trainers. Wright walked slowly from the field into the facility about 45 minutes into practice.
However, 20 minutes later, Wright returned to the field with the trainers and joined his defensive line mates as they concluded one-on-one drills with the offensive line. He didn't participate there, but was involved in 11-on-11 drills later in practice.
Wright was the Browns' second third-round pick in April's draft, No. 78 overall from UAB.
Early journey to Jacksonville for preseason opener
The Browns will take a different approach to their trip to Jacksonville for next week's preseason opener. The plan is to actually depart on Wednesday afternoon for Florida, a day earlier than normal.
After a practice around noon that day in Berea, the team travelling party with get on a plane for Jacksonville. The game is Friday at 7 p.m.
“Really regardless of where we were playing, I wanted to go in early and kind of have some team activities, if you will," Stefanski said. "There are some things that I think that we can get down there and take a look at in Jacksonville, which I think the players will have a nice experience doing. It just gives us opportunities to do some team-building exercises, if you will, which anytime that you travel, that is team-building enough. Just being around each other, felt like [preseason] Week 1 was the right time to do that."
The opener is the lone road trip of the preseason. The Browns will be home against the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears in the final two preseason games.
Cleveland Browns officially add USFL star Chris Odom
The Browns made official the signing of USFL Defensive Player of the Year Chris Odom. A defensive end, Odom announced on his Instagram account Friday he was signing with the team.
"I know he was productive down there in the USFL," Stefanski said. "It's somebody our scouts identified as a guy that we'd like to come in and see what he can do."
Odom, an Arkansas State product, played for the Houston Gamblers this spring in the USFL. He's appeared in 11 games in his NFL career − seven with the Green Bay Packers in 2017 and four with Washington in 2019 − with 16 career tackles and two sacks.
Odom will join Myles Garrett, his teammate from Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, in the Browns' defensive line room.
Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.
On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Anthony Walker Jr., David Bell off injury lists for Cleveland Browns
